No More Silly Little Crushes
by WaytotheDawn256
Summary: AU Aang and Toph are starting high school. Who can say what will happen to the gaang? Taang no bending
1. Enter: Avatar High

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters!**

Enter: Avatar High

"I can't believe it! We're finally all gonna be back together again! This is so great! I've heard a bunch of great things about this school, we get to see all our friends again, and…it's a beautiful Monday!", Aang's excitement seemed to be overflowing for what was going to be his first day at Avatar High.

"Twinkle Toes, would you just _shut up_! It's the end of summer! This is the absolute _worst_ day of the year!" Toph retorted entirely unhappy about her first day.

"But Toph! We get to be reunited with the rest of the gaang. You should be excited!"

"As _wonderful_ as that sounds, I don't really feel like upgrading from one prison to _two_!"

"Oh, come on Toph. You're just being overdramatic. Just think of seeing everyone again!"

"Whatever, Airhead. You know you're just happy to be able to see Katara again."

"Haven't I told you already? Katara was just a silly middle school crush. I'm in high school now! No more silly little crushes for me!" Aang's chest puffed up a little trying to make himself feel empowered. Toph replied to his gesture with a quick smack to the gut. "Ow! Geez, Toph, why you do you have to do that all the time?" Aang pouted a little and folded his arms across his chest.

"_Because_, Twinkle Toes, we can't let you be feeling like a man. You're entirely too wimpy. Now, suck it up!" She gave me another quick thump on the chest.

Aang gave out a long sigh. They spent the rest of their walk to school in silence. Not an awkward silence, but one of those calm, relaxing ones. Soon enough, the enormous building loomed ahead casting a shadow on the people below. Both of them gasped out how large their new school was.

"Wow, I've never been this close before. This place is huge!" Aang exasperated.

"Great, just great. How am I _ever_ gonna find anything in this place?" Toph's vision had been seriously impaired at birth in a car wreck. She was too young at the time to remember any of it now, but the crash still had taken its toll. Her vision got worse each year and she was now only able to see the blurry outlines and fuzzy colors of things and people. She didn't seem to mind to much though, what she lacked in vision, she made up for in her acute sense of hearing.

"Don't worry, Toph! I'll help you out!" A deep, masculine voice sounded from behind them.

"No way! Snoozles!" Toph hugged the older boy. He had been one of her best friends in middle school, next to Aang and Bee, and was the object of her affection for those years. They met when his sister, Katara, had introduced the two. He was two years older than either Aang or Toph and had begun to think of himself as the "leader" of their friends. Oh how wrong he was.

"Geez, Toph! I would've thought you would have grown but, guess I was wrong." That little remark earned him a hard punch to the arm. "Ow! Still as violent as ever though." He whimpered, rubbing the spot where Toph had hit him. "Hey, it's Aang! How ya been, little buddy?"

"Hey Sokka! It's great to see you again. Where's everyone else at?" Aang asked.

"Oh. Well, they're all in the cafeteria. It's where we hang out before school starts each morning. C'mon! Let's go see everyone else!" Sokka dashed off towards the cafeteria with Aang and Toph close behind him.

As they neared the table, Aang instantly recognized his old friends, Katara, Zuko, Bee, Ty Lee…there were even a few new faces among them.

"Hey everyone! Look at what the cat dragged in! Aang, Toph, I'm sure you already know our old friends but these new guys over here are Haru, Longshot, and Duke." Each of them waved as their name was said.

"Nice to meet you." Aang and Toph replied together. They took their place among their friends and spent the rest of their time before school starts catching up with each other. Haru was in the same grade as Katara, Zuko, and Sokka as they were all juniors. The rest of the gaang, including the rest of their newfound friends, were all freshmen.

The first bell rang and they were off to their first classes. Aang had English first with Toph and Duke, so they all walked together talking about their summers. Duke was a tiny little kid, even shorter than Toph. Aang could hardly believe that he was their age. But for being so short, he sure was a brash little guy. He almost resembled Toph, but in guy form.

They took their seats near the back of the room and spent most of the class period talking with each other. The rest of the day dragged and nothing much of merit happened except that Aang spilled his soup on Sokka's leg. Everyone laughed as they watched him run around screaming trying to dry off his pants and yelling something about why everything bad always happened to him.

Toph and Aang took the same way back home to their houses.

"So, Toph, how was your first day?"

"Pretty boring, all I heard from the teacher's mouths were something along the lines of '_Blah Blah Blah, be quiet Miss Bei Fong, blah blah, Toph shut up, blah blah blah_.' One day in and I think I've already got a reputation as the trouble maker. You?"

"Oh, it was roughly the same except for the whole being a troublemaker part."

"Well, that's boring. We gotta get some excitement in your life, Twinkle Toes. I have an idea! I'll race you back to my house. But to make it interesting, let's make a bet. If I win, you have to do my homework for a whole week."

"And what if I win?" Aang asked.

"I dunno, you pick what you want me to do."

Aang thought for a good minute. Being the mischievous boy that he is, he figured that he would make this a bit interesting. "Alright, if _I_ win, you have to kiss me."

"Fair enough, Twinkle Toes, too bad you won't be getting that kiss."

"Let your speed do the talking, Toph."

"Fine. On your mark, get set, GO!!" With that, the two were sprinting down the sidewalk. Aang was surprised at how quick Toph was for being so small. Every time he tried to go faster, she was right by his side. Aang could see the house ahead and ran as fast as he could go, but just like before, he couldn't lose her. They turned the corner towards Toph's huge mansion and sprinted towards the door. The finish point was right in front of them. They both reached out for the door and….their hands hit at the same time.

Aang couldn't believe it. They tied? Before anything could register, he felt something soft and wet against his lips. Toph was kissing him! Fireworks went off in his head and Aang lost all train of thought. He felt Toph pull away. His mind slowed back down to normal speed and he regained his composure when he heard Toph laughing at him.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked.

"Hahaha…your face…is priceless!" Toph said between laughs. Aang let her calm down a bit, then she opened her mouth to speak again. "Oh, and Twinkle Toes, I expect my homework by tomorrow morning before school starts." And with that, Toph walked inside her house and slammed the door shut.

Aang let out a long sigh, thinking back to the kiss. '_It was just a bet, Aang. Get a hold of yourself. She's your best friend! You couldn't possibly like her like that!'_ Aang walked the rest of the way home with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He reached his apartment and stopped in the doorway. He sighed again, "I thought I was done with silly little crushes."

But little did Aang know…this was not just another silly little crush.

(**A/N): Yea so Sokka is a year younger, I wanted to keep him around a bit longer :D**.


	2. Problems, Problems, Problems

(A/N): I'm exchanging Ty Lee for Suki so Ty Lee won't appear and Suki will. Guess you know what that means for Sokka! (Eventually) Anyways, I would like to apologize for taking the immense amount of time I did to write this chapter. And it's short! I just keep losing points here. But there's an explanation. I hit a big patch of writer's block and instead focused my attention on other stories. It took awhile before I finally decided to dig this one up again but I have it going in a good direction now! And without further adieu...enjoy!

**Problems, Problems, Problems**

Aang walked to school without Toph the next morning. He had too much on his mind from the other day. 'Come on, Aang. Get a grip on yourself. This is Toph we're talking about. She's loud and rude, pretty and a great friend...wait, I'm going in the totally wrong direction here. She's a total tomboy and she's violent, not to mention funny and...' Aang let out an exasperated sigh. "Why?!" He yelled out to no one in particular.

"Why what, Twinkle Toes?" Aang spun around face to face with Toph.

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Well if you ask me, you should be asking yourself 'why' you didn't drop by this morning like you usually do."

"I'm really sorry Toph! I had a lot on my mind."

"You mean the kiss?" she asked.

'She's direct too...' Aang thought. "Well, yeah, it's not everyday you kiss your best friend."

"Come on, Twinkle Toes. It was a bet. Please tell me you're old enough to know the difference. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. Forgot you were a baby."

"Hey!"

Toph laughed. "Don't worry about it. It didn't mean anything."

"R-right. I know that." Aang thought to himself, 'Damn it.'

"Good. Then, let's get to the cafeteria, shall we?"

"Yea. I'm right behind you."

They walked into the cafeteria to find Duke and Longshot at one of the tables.

"Hey guys, how's your morning been? Isn't Bee usually with you guys too?" Aang was the first to speak.

"Hey Aang. It hasn't been so great." Duke replied.

"Why's that?" Toph asked.

"Turns out Bee has to switch to another school. That's why she's not here today."

"My ass she has to change schools! When did you find out?!" Toph slammed her fist down all the table attracting the attention of several other people in the cafeteria.

"Hey Toph, calm down a bit." Aang whispered. He didn't want any more unwanted attention.

"Shut up, Twinkle Toes! Last time I checked she wasn't _your _best friend!" With that final comment, Toph turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Aang slumped down in a chair. "I need to remember to keep my mouth shut when she's like this."

The rest of the gaang walked up.

"Yo, what's up with Toph?" Sokka asked.

"She's upset because Bee is leaving." Duke answered.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Sucks to be her...ow! What was that for?" Sokka rubbed his head where his sister had hit him.

"Be more considerate! It's not easy losing a friend. I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Leave it to Katara to be our own personal mother." Zuko said.

"Hey man, she's your girlfriend...which means...Zuko that's disgusting!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Shut up."

Aang snapped back into reality. "Hang on! What? Katara and who?"

"Me."

"Yeah. Emo-Fabulous over here is dating my sister. We've already had our little talk about what I will do to him if he hurts her in any way."

"As if trying to cut my head off with a spork when he found out I liked her wasn't enough for him."

"What can I say? I'm her big brother. It's my job to fend off jerks like you." Sokka slapped Zuko on the back. "Isn't that right, Aang? Aang?"

The train that was Aang's frame of mind had just gone into a violent turn off the tracks, flipped, and careened into a nearby gorge ending with a fiery kaboom. He looked up again, "Katara and who?"

Zuko sighed. "Let his tiny little mind register all that it has just experienced." The first bell rang. "Hmm, guess it's time to go. Alright, see you guys at lunch. Come on, Sokka."

Aang headed off to class with Duke. They spent the walk in silence as Aang's mind tried to comprehend his current situation. 'Ok...Zuko and Katara are going out. That shouldn't bother me but it does. Why? No way. Does part of me still like Katara?' Aang sighed. 'Great...this day just keeps getting better.'

(A/N): Poor Aang just doesn't know what's going on anymore. But that's high school for you. Drama, drama, drama. For Aang and Toph at least. For the rest of them? I'll cook something up. Please review!


	3. Solutions

**(A/N): Here's Chapter 3. Enjoy! I don't own Avatar or its characters!**

**Solutions**

The rest of the day passed by without much merit. Aang did notice however that Toph was not in any of the classes she had with him. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen her since she stormed off this morning.

"Hey Aang!" Katara waved to him from across the hall. "You look down about something. What's wrong?"

"I haven't seen Toph all day and I feel like I've done something wrong to upset her."

"You mean about the whole Bee thing? I wouldn't worry about it. She was just in a bad mood. You didn't do anything wrong." She placed her hand on his shoulder in a motherly fashion. "I think she's at the park if you want to go see her."

"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks, Katara." Aang waved goodbye and walked off towards the park. It was one of his favorite places in the town to hang out. It was just so open and free and he loved to play soccer there. It was one of his favorite sports after all, next to track that is. He wasn't one to brag but he was the fastest kid in his class when he was in middle school. He spotted Toph across the field on one of the swings.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes." No matter how quiet Aang ever was, she always managed to hear him whenever he got close.

"Hey, Toph. I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I was the one who yelled at you."

"Aww, little Tophy is growing up and taking responsibility for herself!" Aang pat her on the head. She punched him in the arm. "Ow! Must you always be so violent?"

"You deserved it." She shrugged.

"Anyways, look Toph, I know you're upset about Bee and all but we're gonna make alot of new friends you know?"

"Yeah, I guess. But, Sokka and Bee were my only friends. Oh wipe that look off your face, you already know you're my best friend. Anyways, I guess I'm just afraid no one else will like me. I'm not exactly a trophy girl."

"Hold up. Since when were you insecure about anything?"

"Don't get used to it."

"Look, Toph, just be yourself. You're gonna make plenty of friends, ok? I'm pretty sure you've made a few already if you haven't noticed."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Aang."

"No problem. Now come on. We're meeting everyone else at the ice cream parlor for a snack."

"Sure. Let's go!" The two made their way to the parlor to meet up with the rest of their friends.

"Well, look who showed up. And just where were you two, I wonder?" Sokka questioned with a weird look on his face. "Nothing inappropriate, I hope!" That comment earned him a slap from Katara and a kick to the shins from Toph.

"Oh look there, Snoozles! Now, who's the short one?

"Why is it always me who's getting hurt?"

"Maybe it's just because you decide to make those kind of comments in front of Mother and Shrimp over here." Zuko won the same prize.

"Like you're one to talk, Scarface." Zuko's face contorted with anger.

"What did you just call me?!"

"Scar...face."

"Don't you dare talk about something you know nothing about!" Zuko drew himself up and it was then Aang noticed how tall he really was.

Katara tried to stop the fight before it escalated further. "Zuko, please, it's just her way of being friends with you."

Zuko shook Katara's hands off of him and stormed out of the building.

Katara sighed. "We better leave him alone to calm down. And Toph? Please refrain from talking about that scar. It has more history than you know."

"Um...someone wanna fill me in here?" Toph asked.

"Well...Sokka, you're his best friend. Why don't you explain?" Suki encouraged.

"Zuko's scar was given to him by his father before he was arrested for abuse and put in jail. No one knows quite how it was done. But it's definitely not something that should be talked about lightly. I know this is Katara's job but Toph, you probably should go apologize."

"I'm not apologizing to Hothead! It was an accident and he was the one who yelled at me! Quit giving me that look! Ugh! Fine!" Toph went out after Zuko. He didn't prove much of a challenge to find. She would've been able to hear those heavy stomps from a mile away. "Hey, Hothead! Wait up!"

"What do you want, Toph? Just leave me alone."

"I...uh...wanted to apologize." She muttered.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry." She said it a little louder this time.

"One more time?"

"I said I was sorry! Geez, are you deaf or something?"

"Nah, I just wanted the world to hear you say it."

"Jerk."

_Back at the parlor_

"So, Aang, how have your first few days been?" Katara asked.

"Alright, I guess. High school is confusing."

"Tell me about it." Sokka said. "I'm halfway done and it still boggles my mind."

"That's not a hard task to accomplish." Suki commented.

"Right...hey!"

"See what I mean?"

"What about all of my great inventions?"

"If it wasn't for me helping you not to kill yourself, then you wouldn't even be able to finish them!"

"This is true..." He muttered.

"Sokka, you never told me you were an inventor." Aang said.

"Yup! Well...I'm not really an inventor as much as a car mechanic. My dad has a lot of junkers lying around because he owns a car shop. I like to repair them and enchance their performance if you know what I mean."

"Oh well, I want to see them sometime. They sound pretty cool."

"Just don't get yourself hurt or blown up or something ridiculous like that."

"You know what Katara? Maybe I'll just "fix" your car sometime."

"You touch my car and you can say goodbye to me covering for you with dad ever again.

"Good point."

"What would Sokka need covering for anyways?" Aang inquired.

"Sneaking out with his lovely girlfriend here." Katara made a motion towards Suki.

"Sokka's got a girlfriend? Miracles do happen!"

"Aang, I oughta kill you." Sokka retorted.

The younger boy smiled a cheesy grin. "You gotta catch me first."

"No way! You're way faster than me."

"How fast are you, Aang?" Duke questioned.

"I don't know. Really fast? I was the fastest kid out there when I was in middle school." He shrugged. "Had a few close ones, but I haven't lost before."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

_-Later that night-_

Aang figured he had nothing much to do after he finished the small amount of homework he had that night, so he decided to sign on and talk to his friends.

_**RunninMan has signed on.**_

"Hmph, no one's on yet."

_**xxPunkRockerxx has signed on.**_

_**RunninMan: hey toph, whats up?**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: nm u?**_

_**RunninMan: bored out of my mind**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: couldnt find some kids toy to keep you occupied?**_

_**RunninMan: no i...that was an insult wasnt it**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: of course not what makes you think i would do that?**_

_**RunninMan: thanks toph...howd it go with Zuko?**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: fine...i apologized and that was it**_

_**RunninMan: wow...i didnt think you actually would...youre capable of compassion?!**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: ...**_

_**RunninMan: youre gonna hurt me arent you**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: yup**_

_**RunninMan: me and my big mouth...alright i g2g cya tomorrow toph**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx: later twinkle toes**_

_**RunninMan has signed off.**_

_**xxPunkRockerxx has signed off.**_

That night, Aang went to bed with a battle warring in his head. Katara or Toph? Katara had always been that shining star for him in middle school that helped him through a lot. But on the other hand, she was more of a mother to him than a love interest. What about Toph? He knew that he could turn to her for anything and get help. Well...at least she would help in her own "Toph" way. She was funny and someone that he really enjoyed hanging out with. With Toph, there was never a dull moment. She was his best friend. Was he willing to risk that? Aang smiled. He had made his decision.

**(A/N): Well now Aang has made his decision and I'm sure you all know who. Now has he got what it takes? Guess we'll have to find out. Thanks to those of you who have been reading my stuff so far. I hope that I've been doing a good job! Please review!**


	4. Boys vs Girls

**(A/N): Please note that each of the fighting styles that are employed by the characters are used directly from the show due to the style of bending that each uses. I don't own Avatar or its characters and their fighting styles! Chapter Four coming up! Please read and review! Enjoy!**

It had been a month or so into the school year at this point and it had gone by pretty slowly. Nothing much of merit had happened between then and now. However, track tryouts were starting up soon and Aang had been training a lot of the past weeks. Coupled with school, it didn't leave him much free time. Something that Toph wasn't all too fond of.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes! Cut your workout this one time! We haven't hung out in forever."

"It's only been two weeks, Toph. And you know how much this means to me."

"You won't take a day off even for your best friend?" Toph made her best sad face.

Aang smiled. "Nice try, but no I won't."

She crossed her arms and tunred around. "Fine, then I'm cutting you off."

Aang's face turned beet red. "Wait, wh-what?"

"That's right. You just lost your "Toph" privileges."

"You can't just ignore me!" No answer. "Oh, come on Toph!" Still, no answer. Aang sighed. "Fine. But just for today!"

"Hah, I win."

"So, what is it you had in mind?"

_In the park_

"Alright, Twinkle Toes. You like soccer right? Well, we're gonna play a game."

"With just the two of us? That doesn't make sense."

"Actually the rest of the gaang is on their way as we speak. See, there's Sokka and Katara right now."

"Hey guys" Sokka waved. "Who's ready for some fútbol?"

"Work on that accent there buddy."

"You know what?!...Ahh, I got nothin'. Anyways, who all is coming?"

"Well, it just looks like we're waiting on Zuko, Suki, Duke, Longshot, and Ty Lee."

After fifteen minutes of waiting, the rest of the gaang had arrived. The game was going to be boys vs. girls with Longshot as the referee. He wasn't that into soccer. The ball started off with the girls. Katara ran it up the field with Suki as they played a game of keep away with Sokka until he finally fell flat on his face. Suki kicked a high lob up to Toph who headed it past Duke and into the goal.

"Hah, take that! First to three wins you guys!"

Aang ran the ball quickly up with the field making it past Toph and Katara before passing it to Sokka who managed to slide it past Ty Lee for a point.

"Haha! Who's laughing now?" Sokka yelled and did a victory dance...before the ball hit him in the gut. "Ow! Ok, who threw that?"

Suki laughed and quickly ran past him with the ball. She got to midfield before Zuko stole it away and tried to pass it to Aang but the pass was intercepted. The two teams traded possessions and had a few missed and saved shots before Aang found an open window and scored. Not long after, Suki scored on Sokka by kicking it between his legs chasing it down and firing it over Duke's five foot height.

"It should be illegal for you to do that to the short kid." he complained.

"Maybe you should think about wearing platform shoes." Toph suggested.

"Very funny."

"Alright guys, last point and the guys have the ball. Let's do this!." Aang shouted. Aang moved the ball up the field as fast as he could before passing it to Sokka who got passed Katara and passed it to Zuko. Zuko took the shot but it missed to the right. The girls moved quickly up the field passing the ball between each other. It ended up with a duel between Toph and Aang right in front of the boy's goal.

"Well, Twinkle Toes, looks like it's just you and me now."

"Show me what you got!"

Toph smirked. She moved the ball back between her ankles then, using her heel, flipped it up causing the ball to fly up and over her and Aang's heads.. Toph used her surprising quickness to get past Aang in his momentary confusion.

"Game over." The ball sailed into the top left corner of the net. Girls won.

Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead. "Next time, we're playing basketball. That's more my style."

"Name the time and place. Girls over boys any day of the week!" Katara exclaimed.

"You've got yourself a rematch." They shook hands.

"Hey, Toph! Where'd you learn how to do that?" Aang inquired.

"I had a lot of free time without you around. So I got bored and practiced when I wasn't in my martial arts class. Figured I'd teach you a lesson about not spending time with me." She smiled.

Aang laughed. "Well, it sure worked."

Sokka groaned. "I can't believe I lost to a girl."

"What was that?!" Suki snapped.

"Nothing dear."

"Whipped." Zuko pantomimed a whip striking and made a cracking sound.

Katara grabbed his ear. "Choose your words carefully."

"Got it."

The rest of the group laughed and said simultaneously, "Whipped."

Both Sokka and Zuko hung their heads and sighed. The gaang walked around the park for a while talking about how each of their years had been so far and what had happened. Sokka had successfully lit three fires while working with his cars or "precious children" as he called them. Thanks to Suki's help, there had been no explosions...yet. Toph had been given detention on a few separate occasions for rude remarks and bad talk, and once for "terrorizing a student". She explained saying that she had only wailed on him for grabbing her butt. But of course, the teachers hadn't believe her. She had also been taking a fighting class twice a week where she trained in the Hung Gar style. She took it in secret paying for it with some of the vast fortune her family had. Zuko had been working on his Shaolin fighting skills in order to become the top of his class. Being the serious kid that he was, he was determined to "gain his honor" by being the best out there. He was determined to outshine his sister Azula, a senior who was extremely skilled in the art and easily defeated many of her opponents. Katara had been preoccupied with her studies as she was taking multiple AP classes and was determined to be valedictorian when she graduated. Longshot had been practicing his archery and was teaching Duke in the art as well. Aang had been busy training for track and helping his adoptive father, Gyatso, with chores around the house. Gyatso's work kept him abroad for much of the year but when he was home he had multiple ways in which to keep Aang occupied. As it got dark, the group of friends dispersed one by one and went their separate ways. Toph's house and Aang's apartment were in the same direction, so they walked home together.

"Hey Twinkle Toes, I got in a real big fight with my dad yesterday about my behavior at school, do you think I could spend the weekend at your place?"

"Uh, sure Toph. Whatever you want."

Toph could hear Aang's heartbeat rise. She smirked. Time to have some fun. "I can hear your heartbeat from here, Twinkle Toes. What's the matter? Never slept with a _girl_ before?"

Aang's cheeks turned bright red. 'Pure thoughts, Aang. Pure thoughts!' Aang's next few words could hardly be considered words at all. Just a few "um's", "I's", and stutters.

"Loss for words? That's rather unusual for you." she laughed. She was rather enjoying Aang's little predicament.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he stammered.

"Oh relax Twinkle Toes. I know you would never have the courage for something like that. I just like to watch you squirm."

"It's times like this I question why we're best friends."

"Because you know that you couldn't possibly survive without me. You might get your butt kicked by a 4th grader."

"I'll have you know that I've been working out! Got some muscle going here!"

"Oh, really?" She punched him in the arm. "How's that feel?"

"Hey, watch it! You just might make me cry!" They both laughed. "No, but seriously. I'm still sore."

Aang opened the door to the apartment he and Gyatso lived in. It wasn't very big but it was comfortable. Aang's dog, Appa, came up to greet him.

"Hey boy! You remember Toph, right?" Appa barked and wagged his tail. Toph rubbed him on the head. "Come on, Toph. I'll show you where we're going to sleep."

Aang led Toph to a small room with two beds, a small TV, and a closet. Aang's clothes littered the floor.

"Wow, Twinkle Toes. I never thought you would have a room this messy. That's more my style, dontcha think?"

"Well, when Gyatso is out of town, this place kind of turns into a dump. That's why I get all those chores when he gets back in town."

The two got ready for bed and climbed under the covers. "Hey Toph, what are you gonna do for clothes?"

"I dunno. I'll just borrow some of your stuff. Tomboy here remember?"

"Good point. So, what do you want to do this weekend? It's my weekend off from training."

"What? You should've told me that before I humiliated your sorry ass in soccer. Saved yourself some pride."

Aang smiled at his small companion even though he knew that she probably wouldn't be able to see it. "What can I say? I enjoy hanging out with my friends. Is that a crime? So what if I skipped my training for one day? I happened to notice that you skipped your martial arts class too. And just for me? I'm flattered." he joked.

Now it was Toph's turn to blush. "That wasn't for you! It was, um, Katara's idea to play! Yeah."

Aang laughed. It reminded Toph of windchimes. How carefree and joyful it was. 'When did I start thinking like that?' she wondered. 'Oh well, it' s probably nothing.'

"Nice try, Toph. Whatever happened to your world famous lies?"

"Shut up."

"No witty comeback either? Toph, you're losing your game!"

"Twinkle Toes, I will come over there and crush that tiny little bald head of yours."

"Just making sure the violent threats on my person were still there!" Aang exclaimed. "Time to get some rest. Goodnight, Toph."

"Night, Twinkles."

**(A/N): Alright, it's finished. The chapter that is. It took awhile to get everything just the way I wanted it to be. Thanks again for reading. Please review, it really gives me incentive to write!**


	5. A Day at the Beach

**(A/N): Here we go, Chapter 5! I don't own Avatar. Review! (Yes, it's a command :D). Also, it has been brought to my attention Azula is supposed to be younger than Zuko. Well, for the purpose of this fanfic, she will be older than him by one year: he's a junior and she's a senior. Thanks to musiclover9419 for the notification! Just wanted to clear that up. On with the show!**

Aang woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He wiped his eyes and read the time: 8:00 A.M. Aang got out of bed and looked out the window. 'Perfect morning for a Saturday' he thought. He looked to his left to find the giant sleeping mass that was Toph. Her bun was undone letting her hair down in multiple directions and it covered the majority of her back. 'Wow, never knew Toph had this much hair. Has she even cut it once since she was born?' Aang poked Toph on the side of the head. "Hey Toph, it's time to wake up." Her reply was a pillow to the face."Oof! Come on, Toph. Get up!"

"Geez, do you have to be so loud? What time is it?"

"8:00." came the short reply.

"Let me get this straight. You woke me up at 8:00...on a Saturday morning."

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're a dead man, Twinkle Toes."

Aang gulped. "Um...I, uh, think I'll just go make us some breakfast."

Aang finished making breakfast rather quickly and right as he finished Toph entered the room. She looked a lot better than she had this morning after she had some time to wake up. Her hair was still let down instead of being in the familiar bun that she wore all the time. Seems like she had found some clean clothes under the pile he had in his room. However, they were a little big for her smaller frame. Aang couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked right now.

"So, what're we having?" she asked as she sat down at the table.

Aang blinked back into reality. "Um...eggs, bacon, and pancakes."

"Sweet."

"So, um, Toph? How come you never wear your hair down like that?"

"I dunno. Guess I've just put it up for so long it never really occured to me to do anything else. Why?"

"I, uh, think you look really pretty with it down." He felt that familiar warmth rising to his cheeks.

Toph blinked. 'Did he just say I was pretty?' She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out, she just blushed.

Aang quickly spoke again. "So, what do you think we should do today?"

"Not sure. Do you have any ideas?"

"We could go see a movie."

Toph cleared her throat to get Aang to look her direction. Then, she waved her hand in front of her face. "Blind, remember?"

Aang flushed. He was always forgetting about that. "Oh, right. Sorry. How's your vision been holding up lately anyways? You told me awhile back that you could see blurs but that they were starting to fade."

The small girl let out a deep sigh. "All black now. But, it's not a total loss. I've learned to see people through the vibrations in the earth. I 'see' with my feet. More or less, anyways."

Aang whistled. "That's pretty amazing. I wish I could do that."

"Baby steps Twinkle Toes. We gotta get all of that air out of your head first."

"Thanks Toph."

"No problem."

"Well, in that case. We need a plan to keep us occupied. I have chores for Gyatso to do that will take up most of my day tomorrow so you're going to have to leave that morning."

"Ugh. I thought you didn't have to do those till the old geezer got back!"

"Hey, that 'old geezer' happens to be my father." Aang paused. "Well, sort of. But he gets back in a few days so I have to get them finished."

"Bummer. So, you got any other bright ideas?"

Aang's phone buzzed. He opened it to see what the message was, read it, replied, then grinned. "Looks like we've got a plan for today. We're going to the beach!"

"Hey, hold on there. Where am I going to get a swimsuit?"

"We'll run down to that clothes store real quick and Sokka is going to pick us up outside once we're done. So let's go!"

_At the store_

Aang and Toph arrived at the front of the store after a short walk from Aang's house.

"Alright, Twinkle Toes. You can either wait out here or come inside with me. Your choice."

"I think I'll come inside. Someone has to tell you what color each one is."

After ten minutes of random swimsuit shopping, Toph decided on a emerald bikini that Aang had picked out because it matched her eyes. And by some miracle, Sokka was right on time outside in his car waiting to get the two of them. Aang and Toph piled in the car to find Duke, Suki already inside. Sokka told them that Katara, Zuko, Ty Lee, and Longshot were riding in the other car. After a somewhat tedious drive to the beach, they had finally arrived. Aang was just as ecstatic as ever. He charged forward into the ocean and began swimming further out to play in the waves. It was like watching a bald little kid. Zuko and Sokka brought out their surfboards and paddled out to catch some waves. Duke and Longshot decided to play some paddleball in the sand. Katara and Ty Lee laid out in the sun to work on their tan. Toph decided to sit next to them and listen to her Ipod. Water was not something that she was fond of.

Aang laughed as Duke and Sokka tried to ride a wave with both of them on the same board. They both fell off sending them headfirst into the water. He looked on the shore and saw that Toph was just sitting on the beach. He swam over towards the beach and walked up to Toph who looked up in his direction with a questioning expression on her face.

"You're not having fun." Aang said flatly.

"What are you talking about? Of course I am!" Toph shot back.

"Sitting here by yourself? Why don't you come in the water?"

"Not gonna happen."

"Come on! It's fun!"

"No."

"Please? Not even for your best friend in the whole world?"

Toph sighed. "How long are you gonna keep at this Twinkle Toes?"

"Depends. How long is it gonna take for you to get in the water?"

"Look, Aang. I...don't really know how to swim, ok? And I can't 'see'."

Without a word, Aang grabbed Toph's hand and began to drag her towards the ocean. "Then, I'll help you." Toph offered resistance in both verbal and physical form. But, everytime she pulled away and went back to her spot on the beach, Aang came right back again and repeated the process. She finally got tired of it and decided to let him have his way...just this once.

"Alright, we're at the shoreline now. Ready to come in?"

"No."

"Great! Now take my hands."

Toph reluctantly reached out and grabbed on to Aang's hands, suprised that they were a decent bit larger than her own. Not long ago, Aang had been just a few inches taller than her. She hung around him so much that she had barely noticed how much taller he had gotten over the years.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't let me drown or anything will you?

"Of course not." The two walked further into the water taking small steps until it was up to Toph's knees. All of a sudden, she came forward and latched onto Aang.

"Something touched me!"

Aang laughed. "Don't worry Toph. I'll save you from the _evil_ sea creatures."

"Not funny."

"Relax Toph. Nothing is going to get you, ok?"

"I believe you. But if it does...you're coming down with me. So I can kill you first."

The swimming lesson resumed and Aang taught Toph how to keep herself above water without drowning in the process. However, Toph was still terrified of the water because it was one of the few things that made her completely blind. Water was something that she did not have total control over and it scared her. Being in control. It was her security. It was part of what made her who she was. The only reason she gave in was because she trusted Aang. But would she ever tell him that?

Hell no.

**(A/N): As always, please review and let me know what you think! I should have Chapter 6 coming up soon!**


	6. Family Feud

**(A/N): Here we go, Chapter 6! I don't own Avatar.**

The next day arrived rather quickly and it was time for Toph to go back home. If she could even call it that. She tried to keep herself occupied as long as possible and managed to kill a majority of the day but she knew that she would have to go back eventually. Toph trudged home as slow as she could. She may like to raise hell with her parents every so often but it was beginning to get on her nerves. They, mainly her dad, were always trying to "protect" her from things that she could easily handle herself, they didn't like Aang, and no matter what she said or did, they could never get it through their heads that she wasn't just some helpless little blind girl to be kept on a shelf and showcased to the world.

The guard outside of her house opened the gate for Toph as he saw her approach. She continued up the rather long walkway towards her house and entered through the front door. Only to be met by her "loving" father, Lao Bei Fong.

"And just where have you been I wonder? Not with that little bald boy I hope." he asked accusingly.

"So what if I was with him? Why does it matter?" Toph answered icily.

"Toph, he is a bad influnece and you know that I disapprove of him. Especially to be spending the night under the same roof at your age! Why I bet he's the one that's been causing you to act out at school. You--"

"He has a name and it's Aang." she interrupted. "And he's my best friend. I'm not going to stop hanging out with him."

Lao scoffed. "As I was saying, a young lady such as yourself should not be attacking boys and disrespecting her teachers. You are to uphold the family name and if this behavior does not stop immediately, I'll make sure that you don't see him anymore."

Toph was boiling with anger at this point. "Don't even think you can control me! I'll be friends with whoever I want and I'm sure as hell not going to let you get in the way of that!" With that final comment, Toph stormed out of the room, found the way to her room, and slammed the door shut. Then she did something that was very, very unlike her. She laid down on her bed and she cried. Whether it was from stress or something else, she didn't know but it was like every single emotion that she had ever kept inside was just flooding out. Her phone rang.

"Hey Toph! I finished all my chores and...are you crying?"

Toph quickly resumed her rough exterior and tried to regain control of herself. "N-no! Of course not! W-why the hell would I have any reason to cry?"

"Toph, I definitely heard you crying. You gotta tell me what's going on." Silence on the other end. "Hang on, I'm coming over." She heard him hang up from the other side. Toph sat up on the edge of her bed and wiped the rest of the tears from her face as she recomposed herself. Not long after, there was a knock at her window. She opened it up to feel his light footfalls land on the floor of her room.

"How in the world do you manage to climb up there?"

"I'm secretly a ninja." he grinned.

Toph forced a small laugh before walking back to her bed again to sit down. Aang came over to take his place next to her. "Alright Toph, you gotta tell me. What's got you down?"

She sighed. "My ass of a father. He blames you for my bad behavior at school and threatened to not let me see you anymore."

"Well, the Toph that I know isn't going to take that sitting down. She would do something about it and face the situation head on like she's always taught me."

"I know that."

"So what are you going to do about it then?"

"Well like hell I'll stop hanging out with you. That's never going to happen no matter how hard he tries."

"It's not as big of a problem as it seemed then huh?"

"Yeah but it's just such a pain to deal with sometimes. He's always like that."

"I don't blame him...too much. Whether he shows it well or not, your dad does care for you. He may not go about it in the best way but at least he tries. I think that, sooner or later, you really need to tell him what you're feeling. It could really help you know?" Toph hit Aang in the arm. "What was that one for?!"

"How come you always have to be right in these type of situations, Twinkle Toes?"

"I have my moments."

For the first time that day, Toph genuinely smiled. "Must be the reason for why I keep you around." she joked.

"Oh please. You know that you couldn't live without me." They both laughed. Aang glanced down at his watch. "Ah, shoot Toph. I gotta get home before Gyatso figures out that I'm gone."

"Way to go Twinkle Toes. You just had to ruin our friend moment."

"Don't worry Toph. High school has only just begun. I'm sure we will have plenty more "friend moments". Aang got up and made his way through the mass of clothes back to the window from which he had entered the room. He went to open it again before he heard Toph say his name.

"Hey Aang?"

"Yeah?" As he turned around to face her, Aang was surprised to find her arms wrapped around him in a hug. In a slow, almost somewhat hesitant motion, Aang wrapped his arms around Toph's tinier frame.

"Thanks."

"No problem Toph." A single tear slid down Aang's cheek for he knew that this may be the last time that he would hold Toph in his arms for a long time. But the question still remained...how was he going to tell her?

**(A/N): OK. I found that surprisingly challenging to write. But hey, that's all part of being a writer, isn't it? What's going happen to Aang? You'll have to keep reading to find out! Reviews please? :D **


	7. That's What Friends Are For

**(A/N): Alright, time to find out what's going on with Aang. Chapter 7 up and running! Go!**

The next day came all too soon for Aang. He already wasn't in a good mood with the news that Gyatso had given him last night. He didn't want to go through with it but what other choice did he have? And it was not like it was going to be forever. But still, leaving was a hard thing to do. Gyatso had told him that he was going to take Aang on his next trip. There was never any particular reason as to why he was making him come along, but Aang guessed that it was because his guardian missed him terribly. Having a job that kept you away from your "family" for almost 90 of the year had probably taken its toll on the old man. He left the night of this coming Saturday on a trip that he would not come back from until the beginning of the next school year. It would be hard leaving all of his friends, especially Toph. And how was he going to tell her without having her freak out on him? Aang sighed. 'At least there's a bright side to all of this. I do get to see a lot of the world. I guess a change of scenery would be nice.' he thought, trying to keep his optimism.

He trudged to school that morning not particularly excited for the day that awaited him. Track tryouts were supposed to be today. But he couldn't participate. The school had already been notified of his abscence and after declaring Gyatso capable of homeschooling him, decided to just let him slide on the homework for the week. The only point to going this week was to spend as much time with his friends as he could. There was so little of it left after all. As usual, Aang walked out in front of Toph's house to find not her but a guard in her place.

"Excuse me, is Toph there?" Aang asked.

"I'm sorry but Miss Bei Fong is in bed today with a cold. You will have to come back later." The guard had a gruff voice that matched his appearance. To say the least, it suited him quite well.

'Well, there's one potential hurricane avoided for the day.' Aang thought. He wanted to wait as long as possible before having to tell Toph in case. It wasn't fair to her for him to dump this on her when she was still dealing with her father. The others, whom he hoped would react favorably for the most part, were going to have to come first.

He decided not to go see his friends this morning. Instead, he just spent most of the day thinking about how he was going to tell them. 'I guess I'll just have to break it to them and hope they don't get mad. Aang took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves before joining them.

"Hey Aang." Duke and Ty Lee were the first to acknowledge him.

Katara, unlike the rest of the group who continued their conversations, noticed that something wasn't quite right with Aang. "Aang, you look a little down today. What's wrong? It was about then that her motherly instinct kicked in and the interrogation started. "Are you ok? You aren't hurt, are you? Where's Toph? Is she the reason? Was it something she did? Was it--"

Zuko pulled her back down into her seat. "Katara, relax. Just let Aang talk."

"She's out sick today." came his emotionless reply. "As for me, well, there's something I gotta tell you guys. I won't be coming back for a while after this week is over."

His statement was met with curious glances, confused faces, and in Sokka's case, a stupid expression plastered on his face that was a mixture between cluelessness, surprise, and something else entirely. It would have been comical if the situation was different.

"What are you talking about?"

"Gyatso is taking me along on his next trip. We leave this Saturday." Aang kept his eyes downcast as he spoke.

"How long?"

Aang sighed again. "That's the bad part. About a year or so."

"A whole year?!" Sokka yelled. "You've got to be kidding me, man. You mean we won't even get to see you during the summer?" Aang shook his head. "This sucks."

"Well, at least it's going smoother than I had thought. I was afraid you guys would be mad at me."

"Aang, we're your friends man. How could we be mad at you for something that's out of your control?" Duke reassured him

"Duke's right, Aang" Ty Lee added. "It's not like you're causing this."

"Have you told Toph yet?" Suki asked.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, you might want to let her know as soon as possible. You know better than any of us how she can be sometimes.

"Yeah, I know. But the problem is...how the heck am I supposed to tell her that her best friend is leaving her? It's not like she's just going to smile, wish me a good trip, and go on her merry way. She just lost Bee only a month ago. And now _I'm_ leaving too. What kind of a best friend does that?"

"It's not like you're going to be gone forever though." Zuko stated. "It's only a temporary thing. It's not like she's going to kill you over it, right?"

"You _are_ talking about the same Toph aren't you?" Sokka questioned.

Zuko glared in return. "My point is Aang, don't beat yourself up about it. You're just going to have to confront Toph and tell her. You can't hide from it forever you know."

"Zuko with words of wisdom? And you haven't had any conniption fits today? My little Zuzu is growing up! I'm so proud!" Sokka hugged Zuko and pretended to cry tears of joy before he was shoved out of his chair onto the floor.

"Don't call me that."

The rest of the gaang laughed and even Aang smiled a little bit.

"Thanks Zuko. And thanks to the rest of you guys for understanding everything. It definitely made me feel alot better." Aang said.

"That's what friends are for." Katara said.

"Or in your case mothers..." Sokka mumbled. _Smack_.

Aang smiled. He wondered how in the world he would have been able to get through each day without having each and every one of his friends by his side. And all of a sudden, the trip didn't seem as bad as it had before. Of course he would miss each of his friends and wish that every day he was back home with them...enjoying the good times, getting through the bad times, and having fun doing it. But he knew that throughout the entirety of his venture, they would always be there, anxiously awaiting his return. And it was then, at this very moment, that Aang finally realized what it was that made everything they went through together worth it in the end. Friendship.

**(A/N:) There's one problem out of the way. But what will Toph's reaction be? And how in the world will he tell her? Next chapter may take while for me to put up. Haven't quite started on it yet but I promise it won't take too long! And as always please review!**


	8. The Father He Never Had

**(A/N): And here it (finally) is, Chapter 8! Sorry that it's taken so long. I've kind of been putting it off D. Anyways, I don't own Avatar or its characters, or the movies mentioned. Please read and review!**

The rest of the day went by all too slowly. Aang wasn't required to go to any of his classes so he spent the day just wandering around the school. Most of the time, he was wondering what to do about Toph but he pushed it to the back of his mind to think about later. After all, Saturday was still a couple of days away. He had plenty of time to think it over. As the bell that symbolized the end of the day rang, Aang met up with his friends. They had planned to go over to Sokka and Katara's house for a movie marathon.

"Alright guys, which movie do you want to watch?" Katara asked.

"My vote's in for _Mean Girls_." Everyone stared at Sokka in response to his choice. "What?" he shrugged. "It's a good movie!"

"It's not that. It's just...never would've thought that you of all people would pick that." Suki replied.

"What can I say? I'm a mysterious guy."

"Sokka...you love meat and sarcasm. That basically sums it up. Nothing mysterious about it."

The gang ignored the couple's argument as they tried to decided on what to watch.

"Well, I'm going to go with _The Fugitive_." Zuko said. "What's better than a movie with a total badass on a mission to kill a dude? I mean--oh god! Sokka! Suki! Would please get a (insert word choice here) room!?"

The two teens seperated immediately and flushed from embarassment. Zuko slapped his forehead. "How in the world can you guys go from fighting to making out in a matter of seconds?!" The next sentence he whispered for only Sokka to hear, "_Please_ teach me how you do that!"

"What was that?" Katara asked with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"How about we watch that new Batman movie that just came out?" Aang cut in before things started to get out of hand. "I think there's one showing at the theatre pretty soon."

"I agree." Duke said. "I heard it was pretty damn amazing."

"Alright then, it's settled. To the theatre!" Sokka shouted pointing his finger in the air and marching out the front door. But not before poking his head back inside to ask, "Uh...guys? Where _is _the movie theatre?"

"Wait for it." Aang started.

Zuko groaned and slapped his forehead.

"There it is." Katara finished.

After a long car ride, the gaang somehow managed to arrive at the theatre on time even with their little directional driving mishaps, courtesy of Sokka.

"I still can't believe you missed the exit three times! And people say that _I'm_ the stupid one." Ty Lee giggled.

"It's not my fault that no one told me where to go." Sokka complained.

"Are you serious?! Do you not remember all of us yelling for you to make that turn? Or do you need to get your hearing checked?" Zuko had lost his patience after the second time the exit was missed and he was already fuming.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that I could use a little more support from you guys. Anyone could've missed that." he shrugged.

Katara grabbed Zuko by the ear before he could attempt to strangle Sokka right on the spot. "Don't even think about it."

"Suki? How on earth do you deal with this buffoon?" Duke asked.

"I think he's cute." she kissed Sokka on the cheek.

"I swear the whole world is out to get me." Sokka said.

"That's my line." Zuko mumbled.

Aang sighed. "Alright guys, enough with the trashing of Sokka's intelligence, we don't want to make him think to hard. He might hurt himself."

"Someone's been hanging out with Toph a little too much." Sokka said. "You like her or something?"

Aang's cheeks began to turn bright red and he prayed that no one noticed. "N-no! We're just friends, nothing else?"

The older boy smiled and wrapped his arm around Aang's neck. "Are you suuuuure? You have been spending an awful lot of time with her lately. Trying to get some action before you leave? Aang, you sly dog!"

Much to Aang's gratitude, Katara stepped in to get her brother off his back. "Sokka, leave him alone! And keep your nose out of other people's business!"

"You know guys if we don't hurry up...we'll miss the movie." Duke pointed out.

The gaang rushed inside to get their tickets and were incredibly lucky to find seats to fit all of them next to each other in the same aisle. The theatre grew quiet as the movie started, grabbing everyone's attention. Aang was thankful that it took his mind off of Toph and he was able to just spend time with his friends like any other day. Two and a half hours later, the movied had ended and the credits began to roll. Everyone made their way out of the theatre and into the parking lot to Sokka's car.

"Man, that was so awesome!" Longshot exclaimed.

"Hey if it can get you to raise your voice above a whisper, then it must have been good." Duke laughed.

"I never knew Heath Ledger was such a great actor." Aang declared. "He did the Joker's character perfectly. Even made me laugh at all the slightly disturbing yet funny moments."

"You've got that right." Zuko agreed. "Best movie I've seen in a while."

"Better than _The Fugitive_?" Katara asked.

"Without a doubt." he answered.

"It's even better than _Mean Girls_!" Sokka exclaimed. Everyone laughed as he looked around questioningly at his peers. "What?"

"Nothing dear." Suki laughed.

The group was in good spirits on the way back to Sokka and Katara's house. Any tension that was left from that morning had left everyone's minds. Aang's conscience finally felt at ease for the first time since he had been told of the trip. Before long, they had gotten back to the house and spent the last of the time they had reserved for that evening making conversation about nothing in particular. Just hanging out like all friends should.

Aang took a look at the clock and noticed it was getting rather late. As much as he regretted having to leave after having so much fun with his friends, he spoke up. "Alright guys, I need to head back home. Gyatso will want me back pretty soon."

The group said their goodbyes as Aang left out the front door. Everyone lived pretty close together in their city since it wasn't very large, so it only took a short fifteen minute walk for Aang to reach the apartment complex that he called home. He entered his apartment to find that Gyatso was there to greet him at the door.

"I trust that you have said goodbye to all of your friends Aang?" the old man inquired.

"Yup, just about all of them...why?"

"There has been a slight change of plans and instead of this Saturday, we will be leaving in two days. As for tomorrow, I will need your help packing up all of our things and you will need to find someone that would be willing to hold onto Appa for us while we are gone. I presume that will take up most, if not all, of the day."

"Aw man, you've got to be kidding me!" Aang threw his arms up in the air.

Gyatso raised one eyebrow. "Something wrong my boy?"

"Toph is sick today and her parents wouldn't let me see her when I stopped by this morning! I still have to tell her I'm leaving!"

Gyatso sympathized for the boy in front of him. Whether Aang knew it or not, Gyatso was aware that his foster son had grown a rather strong bond with the brash, blind girl. He had seen them together on occasion and had begun to wonder how much more powerful that bond would become as they grew older. Although they were complete opposites, Gyatso believed that despite their differences, Aang and Toph could potentially form one of the strongest bonds of all. However, it was up to them if they wanted to choose that path or not. Only time could tell. He tapped his finger to his lips in a thoughtful gesture. "Hmm, that would be a problem indeed. Have you tried the old-fashioned way?"

"Yeah, they have guards posted outside of her bedroom window so I couldn't climb in." A frown spread across Aang's face as he let out an exasperated sigh. He let his face drop into his hands. "What am I going to do? She'll hate me forever if I just up and disappear like this."

Gyatso put his hand on Aang's shoulder in a fatherly manner. Even though he wasn't always around these days, Gyatso was very much the father that Aang never had. Just watching the two together could make one believe that Aang never lost a father. That he's had one all along.

"Aang, I know that this is hard for you and it is not exactly occuring at the best time. But this is something that you have to do. It's part of growing up. And it's not like this is forever. You will be able to see all of your friends again, including Toph. And who knows? Maybe I can do some of the packing myself." Aang's head shot up to look at Gyatso to see a smile on his face.

"You really mean it?" he asked.

"I think I will be able to let you get away from me for a few hours. I'm not that old yet."

Aang instantly wrapped his arms around Gyatso in gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Dad!" Gyatso's heart soared when he heard those words. After all, it was the first time that Aang had ever called him "dad".

**(A/N): I wanted Gyatso to get some showtime in this chapter. He is Aang's guardian/father after all, I think he should have an important role. And a shout out to Heath Ledger as well. He did an awesome job in The Dark Knight and it's really quite the shame that he's passed on. May he rest in peace. Oh, and if you haven't seen the Dark Knight yet, I highly highly recommend it. It's really that great. Anyways, I'll go ahead and get started on the next chapter soon. Aang still has to tell Toph that he's leaving and who knows what will happen? Please let me know what you guys think of my story, it really helps me to want to keep writing! **


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